This pedometer geek reader recently finished the Armor of Magic trilogy by Simone Pond. The author gifted me with audio-book versions of Rising Light and Edge of Light (books 2 and 3 respectively), but I purchased Sacred Light, the first book, to get the beginning of the story. This is an overview of the trilogy, rather than an extended review.

Armor of Magic trilogy:

Sacred Light

Rising Light

Edge of Light

By Simone Pond

Published by Ktown Waters, 2016

Audio-books produced by Tantor Audio, 2017

ISBN: 9781534682603 (SL)

9781515968177 (RL)

9781536917925 (EoL)

This young adult paranormal, urban fantasy trilogy features Fiona Farrow, a young woman who wants to become a journalist like her parents. As the trilogy opens, the reader finds out that she has just graduated from college, has landed her dream job, and wants to lose her virginity now (on her twenty-first birthday). Her parents are missing, having disappeared during a journalistic junket to the Mideast several years earlier. But probably most importantly, she, like her parents, is a Protector of Light, albeit a reluctant one.

Frankly, in the first novel, Sacred Light, all she wants is what many young people want: to have a life, that is, to have fun with her friends, enjoy her job, and to get laid. She is tired of being a Goody Two Shoes while her best friend’s sister Lilith gets all the hot guys, often stealing them right way from Fiona.

What she doesn’t want is to accept her destiny as a Protector of Light; she would rather avoid this annoying guy from the Monarchy, who seems to be stalking her.

Despite this, she connects with a guide named Ezra, who only wants to train Fiona in the ways of the Monarchy. She lives in a rundown Victorian house she inherited from her aunt, and she meets Asher, a hot guy who is willing to fix up her home for an unbelievably low price, which all leads to the beginning of the battle between the light and the dark to control all of humankind. Vampires, mages, demons, other paranormal creatures, and the most evil of demon mages, Cagliostro, are all out to steal the Sacred Scrolls and take over the world.

As the trilogy continues, Fiona accepts her fate as a Protector and begins to relish her role within the Monarchy. She then becomes a kick-ass heroine, utilizing the powers of her Armor of Magic. She meets up with other Protectors, Julian and Rocco, to fight evil paranormal creatures including a particularly strong vampire within the Ancient Order of Vampires. He has captured another of the Sacred Scrolls and is causing trouble for Fiona, Charlotte, and her friends.

Yet, always in the background Cagliostro is pulling strings, and he may become the leader of the world if Fiona and the other Protectors cannot stop him, and the second novel ends with a cliffhanger ending.

The third and final novel in the series, Edge of Light, finds Fiona reunited with her parents and other Protectors, but the world is quickly falling into darkness as Cagliostro is becoming more powerful particularly in the embattled city of San Francisco.

The battle between the dark and light is spearheaded by Fiona, but she will have to defeat Cagliostro first, and only one of the Protectors of Light still has a Sacred Scroll. Using the power of the Logos may be the only way to defeat Cagliostro, but at what cost? Destruction of all mankind? And destruction of the Monarchy? Will Fiona be willing to make the toughest sacrifice to prevent these events from happening?

Pond has written another series that features a strong female lead in Fiona Farrow (although she was a bit juvenile with her desire to lose her virginity*). She is offset by a particularly evil character in Cagliostro. There are plenty of engaging ancillary characters, some of whom are decent, and others who are not.

The author keeps it light with plenty of humorous circumstances and dialogue throughout. Language is, at times, stronger and more graphic than what has been seen in her other novels that this reader has read.

Further, like her other series, she adds a subtle (or not-so-subtle) spiritual component. It comes down to a battle between good and evil, between the dark and the light. Still, she doesn’t smack the reader over the head with it.
While the first novel was read in an e-book format, the last two books in the trilogy were “read” as audio-books. Personally, I am not the biggest fan of audio-books as they tend to lull me to sleep. The narrator, Caitlin Kelly, does a great job here, making each character come alive, varying the voices, even the male voices, so that the ‘reader’ can distinguish between each.

On the other hand, audio-books seem to accentuate repetitive language, and there is some of that in this story. For example, the term demon bats and the word smirk/smirked appeared over and over again. This is just an observation that doesn’t seem as egregious when the text is being read as opposed to being heard.

Overall, for those who love paranormal urban fantasies, this may be the series for you. A few of her other series, The New Agenda and The Mysterium Chronicles, are also series that appeal to YA and new adult readers (and are also reviewed on this site).

* and yes, Fiona finally, finally loses her virginity (but you have to read them all to find out when!).

The latest Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) this pedometer geek reader read was Chris Bohjalian’s The Sleepwalker. This is not the first of his novels this reader has read, nor will it be the last. In fact, the first was his The Law of Similars, which was discovered (and subsequently read) when this reader was studying for a degree in homeopathy. Since then, there have been others (Midwives, The Sandcastle Girls, and The Double Bind to name a few) that this reader has read. Each has been so different, but all have been compelling reading. So, too, is this one, and this is the extended review.

The Sleepwalker

By Chris Bohjalian

Published by Doubleday, 2017

A division of Penguin Random House, LLC

ISBN: 9780385538923

The subject of the novel is a woman, Annalee Ahlberg, who has parasomnia (sleepwalking) and disappears one night. She sleepwalks all too often, but only when her husband is away. Finally after months and years in which he hasn’t traveled for his job as a professor, he goes to a conference in Iowa, and this is when she disappears and is presumed missing or dead.

Her two daughters, Lianna and Paige, are looking for answers and clues to her whereabouts as the novel opens. Paige, especially, is concerned and willing to swim the river Gale near where a scrap of her nightgown was found.

Enter detectives and police including one detective, Gavin Rikert, looking for information.

Told through Lianna’s perspective, the story is told of her mother’s sleepwalking habits and how it has affected/affects the family. The story also includes a secret romance between Lianna and Gavin. Despite Lianna’s pushing for information, Gavin doesn’t give up information about the case.

Eventually, months later, Annalee’s body is found, but it only produces more questions than answers for Lianna and her family. Yet, Lianna keeps trying to figure out more about the circumstances of her mother’s death. Frankly, she can’t let it go.

Complex and disturbing, full of lies, half-truths, and family secrets, this novel is interesting for various reasons, one of which is the snippets of a journal describing parasomnia and its manifestations. All the way through, this reader wondered: Who is writing the journal? There are several possibilities, making this as much a mystery as Annalee’s disappearance and subsequent death.

This reader found the descriptions of parasomnia particularly riveting, and it appears that the author did his research on the subject. If, for no other reason, this makes the novel worth reading; however, there are plenty of other reasons to recommend it (and suffice it to say, this reader does!).

The latest novel this pedometer geek read was a complimentary copy of one of Pamela Fagan Hutchins’ novels, which the author offered as a consolation prize to a giveaway she was running. Thanks again for this book. Frankly, can’t recall the other book title at the moment, but here is the extended review of the novel, Going for Kona (which was gifted by the author).

Going for Kona

by Pamela Fagan Hutchins

Published by SkipJack Publishing, 2014

ISBN: 978-1939889188

Going for Kona is a cross-genre story. Billed as a romantic suspense story, it is part mystery, part suspense, and, at its heart, a love story. Briefly, without giving away too many spoilers, co-authors Michele and Adrian Hanson are training for the Kona Ironman triathlon to be held in Hawaii. The day after the book launch at Barnes & Noble of their book, My Pace or Yours? Triathlon Training for Couples, Adrian is killed by a hit-and-run driver while riding his bicycle. His death devastates Michele and their children, Belle and Sam. Frankly, if were up to her, she’d crawl in bed, pull the covers over her head, and never come out. Unfortunately, his death also drives sales on the book and a media blitz occurs, which is a distraction for Michele and the family.

Michele’s grief for Adrian also drives her to intensify her training in order to participate in the Kona race in honor of her husband, yet at what cost? Her children, Sam and Belle, are paying the price for her lack of time and attention, and custody of the two is in jeopardy. Added to that, she feels that the police are not looking for his killer. Or at least, not hard enough to suit her so that, in essence, she becomes an amateur sleuth. Doing her own detective work may be as dangerous as training; moreover, she may discover things she’d rather not know, but nonetheless she persists.

Will Michele survive the race? Will she repair the rift with her kids? Will she discover her husband’s murderer? All these questions (and more) will be answered be answered as she goes for broke.

This is the first of Hutchins’ novels that this pedometer geek has read. It is part of a series called What Doesn’t Kill You, but this one clearly can be read as a stand-alone. Her characters are fresh and realistic. For example, teens Sam and Annabelle (Belle) act like typical teens. That is, they are moody and loving and rebellious and caring, all in the space of fifteen minutes. The scenarios are believable, as in the example of Michele’s driving herself in her training to block our her pain of the loss of her spouse. There is just enough romance, mystery, suspense, and humor throughout the story that keeps the reader engaged and emotionally connected to the characters.

There were the usual What-the-trends seen. Several of the characters (Adrian, Belle) had green eyes, and of course, there was at least one incident of hair tucking, but overall, it was a fun read, which means this reader intends to read other novels by this author. Actually, at least two of them (Saving Grace and Heaven to Betsy) are already downloaded on my Kindle, but I digress. What more needs to be said?

The pedometer geek reader’s local library, the Huron Public Library, had an event with a publisher’s representative (Penguin, I believe it was) almost two years ago. The rep discussed various upcoming titles that she was excited to represent (some of which this reader has read, but I digress). She also gave participants the opportunity to have some copies of other upcoming titles. This reader chose an uncorrected bound proof of Vanishing Games, which was written by Roger Hobbs. Thus, despite the tardiness related to the time since receiving the novel, this pedometer geek reader now presents the extended review.

Vanishing Games

by Roger Hobbs

Published by Alfred A. Knopf, 2015

a division of Random House, LLC

ISBN:978-0-385-35264-2

Vanishing Games is the thrilling sequel to Hobbs’ debut novel, Ghostman. Having not read that one, it was with some trepidation that this reader began to read his second novel. What if it was the continuation of a story that had ended with a cliff-hanger ending? Would it make any sense or would it always be a matter of trying to figure out the “rest of the story,” in a sense, always playing a game of catch up? Well, the answer is: No. This story can be read as a stand-alone.

While the main characters of Angela and Jack were the same, there is little that harkens back to the first story. When there are references to earlier exploits and events, the author deftly explains enough so that the reader is not wandering around in the dark. Because of those little explanations of the characters’ past history, this reader feels compelled to read the first one. Yes, some of the events will be less dramatic, but not so much as to deny the reader from enjoying the tale and getting all the gritty details.

Without too many spoilers, this tale, set in Asia, specifically Macau and Hong Kong, has pirates, smuggling, organized crime, master criminals/thieves, and mercenaries. As the novel opens, a group of pirates opens fire on a small yacht, a yacht that is smuggling a fortune in uncut sapphires. More than that, the pirates stumble upon a greater treasure, and only one man from the crew survives, and he plans to disappear completely with both.

His boss, Angela, isn’t about to let that happen. But, who to trust?

It’s been six years since Jack, known as the Ghostman, last saw Angela; six years since their last caper, the one that was so botched that Jack barely escaped with his life. Frankly, without his partner in crime, Jack has become bored and is gambling away his life when he gets a message he never expected. Angela is alive and needs him to travel to Macau immediately.

Without a thought for his safety (can she really be alive?), he takes off only to find himself running for his life again. Finally, the two re-connect, and it is up to the two of them to retrieve the merchandise (the sapphires) without getting themselves killed. Non-stop action and dangerous situations liberally litter this thriller that has them caught between a mercenary and a triad (an organized crime family). Ultimately, will either of them survive, and if so, will they get merchandise before pulling another vanishing act?

The writing style and the plot is reminiscent of the novels of Gerald Browne, a writer this reader has enjoyed over the years. Twists and turns, double-crosses, intrigue, and more make for compelling can’t-put-it-down reading. Hobbs gives a bit of background information to enhance the reader’s understanding of unfamiliar concepts, but not in a heavy-handed manner. Overall, it’s a suspenseful read that is complete as is, but leaves potential for more from this author. Will there be another story featuring Jack?

The latest Goodreads giveaway novel this pedometer read was a novel by Jeffery Deaver called Solitude Creek. This suspense thriller is another in a series of books that stars Kathryn Dance. This reader has had the pleasure of reading both Roadside Crosses and XO previously. In fact, the only one I haven’t read is the first in the series, The Sleeping Doll, but I’m sure it is just a matter of time. In the meantime, this is the extended review of the fourth book in the series, Solitude Creek.

Solitude Creek

by Jeffery Deaver

Published by Grand Central Publishing, 2015

a division of the Hachette Book Group

ISBN: 978-1-4555-1717-6

To repeat, this suspenseful thriller features the California Bureau of Investigation (abbreviated as CBI) agent Kathryn Dance. The fourth in the series, they all can stand alone without the necessity of reading the others; however, having read two of the previous novels, they are definitely worth reading.

Dance is a kinesics (body language) expert for the CBI, which means she can read a person’s body language to tell if the person is lying or not. Whether it is her own children, her boyfriend, witnesses, or suspects, she can generally figure out the truth from the lies.

Kathryn, working on trying to break up a pipeline of drugs coming across the border, makes a major mistake in this case, which costs her badge in the Criminal Investigations department. She is now bumped down to the Civil Division unit (Civ-Div as it is referred to) and the loss of her firearm, yet at the same time, she is also ostensibly investigating a possible domestic terrorist case in which patrons were locked into a burning building, causing mayhem and death. Except there was no fire, just people being panicked into stampeding. So, is it a matter of insurance fraud by the owner? It is up to Dance to figure out what occurred at the nightclub, and she stretches her authority.

Added to this, Kathryn has two children and a boyfriend, who, with their own issues, add to the chaos of her life. Trying to keep a balance between her family and her work life, which at the present is the investigation of a killer, who is using fear as a weapon, is never easy. Twists and turns keep the action moving as Dance and her partner track down the devious killer, who seems to always be one step ahead of them. Deaver keeps the suspense building and the reader guessing until the very end in the complex story.

Normally this pedometer geek reader only reviews books received through giveaways. It is the way for an appreciative reader to highlight those books and help authors get some much needed recognition. Hopefully, these reviews translate into a sale or two for these books.

Despite what many people believe there isn’t a great deal of money in books for most authors. Writers (like other artists) spend hours upon hours writing with no guarantee of ever recouping their time or money. While there are authors who do make money with their craft, most have to keep their day jobs. They write, frankly, because they must write.

Every so often, however, a book comes along that this reader chooses to review, and Kea Wilson’s We Eat Our Own is one of those exceptions.

We Eat Our Own

by Kea Wilson

Published by Scribner, 2016

ISBN: 9781501128318

Kea Wilson’s debut novel is unlike anything this reader has had the pleasure of reading. It’s a literary novel that doesn’t follow many of the known conventions.

We Eat Our Own is the story of the making of a horror film in the Amazon River jungles alongside a shadowy Colombian town comprised of drug cartels and guerilla fighters. The tale is basically told through a second person perspective (which is unusual enough in its own right, but it is more impressive when done by a debut author). There is also the more typical third person exposition as well as a bit of court testimony added to second person point of view.

Another convention that is ignored is the use of quotation marks when the various characters speak. This is reminiscent of Charles Frazier’s novel, Cold Mountain, which didn’t use them in that story, either, yet in this novel, it works…adding to the tension of the plot of the actor being plucked from obscurity into the starring role in a film that seems unbelievable.

For a reader who doesn’t understand all the technicalities of movie making, the descriptions of scenes, film techniques, and other movie situations were enlightening as well.

Because of the perspective in which it was written, YOU learn about the movie process, YOU become immersed in the world of the Colombian jungles and all that goes on behind the scenes, and YOU are given a front row seat into the mind of the protagonist (the American actor plucked from obscurity) Richard Trent/Adrian White.

While the novel is about the making of a horror film (and this reader is not particularly a fan of the horror film genre), the story itself isn’t a horror story at all. There are some graphic scenes, however; there are some rather gruesome descriptions of gory events, yet it wasn’t particularly scary to this reader. In fact, because of an overactive imagination, this reader kept expecting worse (much like those tense, suspenseful moments in a horror movie).

Overall, it’s a literary novel that is well worth the read if only for its unique style and insights.

This pedometer read Samantha Hayes’ Until You’re Mine. Received from Blogging for Books, it is the latest Advanced Reader Copy read; this is the Reader’s Guide edition paperback edition as it was originally published in Great Britain in 2013. This is the extended review of this suspense thriller.

Until You’re Mine
By Samantha Hayes
Published by Broadway Books,
An Imprint of Crown Publishing Group, 2015
ISBN: 978-0-8041-3691-4

As it indicates on the back cover blurb, Claudia Morgan-Brown finally has it all—she has a happy family comprised of her husband James, two young stepsons, Noah and Oscar, and a much desired baby on the way.

She is a social worker and has seen her share of sad families. She has had to take children from bad situations so she knows that the life she leads is special as her due date rapidly approaches.

With James about to leave for an extended time away with the Navy, she and James hire Zoe, a nanny with exemplary references to help with childcare now, and in the future. Yet, despite Zoe’s relatively easy entry into the family dynamics, Claudia is increasingly paranoid and begins to distrust Zoe the longer she is in their employ despite the vetted employment record. To keep the nanny or not is a frequent question in her mind especially when James leaves for Naval submarine maneuvers.

During this same time interval, there have been several attacks upon a few full-term pregnant women. A husband and wife detective team is on the case to find out who is behind the attacks. It seems as if someone wants a baby, and badly, in this suspense thriller that gives new meaning to whom-do-you-trust- to-care-for-your-children.

Told from three different perspectives of Claudia, Zoe, and Lorraine, one of the detectives, this novel has twists and turns and thrills and chills. It will have readers whipping through this roller coaster of a tale as each of these women have things to hide and issues that get in the way before it is all sorted out. Overall, this tale is suspenseful to the end…and chilling to discover what one woman will do to have her dreams come true.

While this is the first of this author’s works that I have read, it probably won’t be the last. Definitely a recommended read.